Mountain Zebra National Park is synonymous with the rare zebra, but these days another endangered animal steals the show. By Judy van der Walt

Michael assembled something that looked like a TV antenna and plugged it into a telemetry radio set. He held the antenna high in the air, searching for a signal of a cheetah within line of sight. The radio set hissed and crackled. Nothing. He pointed the antenna south. Shhhhh-grr-shrr, more static. Then north. Suddenly, beep. My heart skipped a beat.

Day Two: This morning we tracked Nixi with three German tourists. Her stomach had been hollow with hunger and we had followed her as she sloped through the veld, back arched, head forward. But by late morning the Karoo heat pressed onto the plains like a thick blanket and Nixi headed for the shade. When she dropped her head and snoozed, the show was over for the day.

If I want to choose a place where I can and have spent all day it is the tree-top boardwalk on the Limpopo River in Mapungubwe National Park. But to maximise its magic you must get there as close to sunrise as possible to experience the dawn chorus – a cacophony of bird sound, as a multitude of different species compete to serenade the new day.

Keen birders should make a note in their calendar... the Sasol Addo Birding Weekend will be held in Addo Elephant National Park from 19 to 21 October 2012.

Surveys for Pel’s fishing owl Scotopelia peli along the major river systems in the Kruger National Park over the period 2007-2010 indicate a major decline over the last 18 years.

By André Botha, Birds of Prey Programme Manager, Endangered Wildlife Trust

This winter save 20% on accommodation and camping at national parks in the Cape Region.

There has been a major decline in some bird species along the Olifants River especially. Water birds and raptors were counted in a survey along the Luvhuvhu and Olifants Rivers in the Kruger National Park from 2007-2010.

By André Botha, Birds of Prey Programme Manager, Endangered Wildlife Trust

After eleven years in the remote Mahlangeni region the Krugers are transferred, first to Crocodile Bridge and then to Pretorius Kop. Fully at peace in the wild and lonely landscapes of the north, Kobie fears she will never adapt to the relatively people-populated southern area.